Start to build a search strategy by determining search terms. Search terms or keywords can be people, events, theories, concepts, ideas, periods, movements, eras, places, techniques, media etc. Use terms that describe the concepts in the research question and their synonyms. You can consult a reference text, such as an encyclopedia, for additional background information and to identify additional terms.
For example, if you are interested in exploring ethnoarchaeological or experimental archaeology research of stone tools in Midwest woodland cultures
You may have to test a few terms to see which terms retrieve the most relevant results. You can look at the subjects or keywords listed in the "details" section of your results for additional terms to try.
AND includes both terms
Example: "fishing gear" AND "lithics"
OR includes either term
Example: "lithics" OR "stone tools"
NOT excludes term*
Example: "lithics" NOT "building"
*Note that NOT may exclude results with the term even if a result contains a search term you want included
Using database syntax can help you refine your search. For example using "double quotations" will narrow searches by searching only for that specific phrase rather than each individual term. Using truncation (*) or wildcard (?) can expand your search by expanding the scope of a single term.
| Symbol | Use | Function | Example |
| "..." | Double quotation marks | Searches exact phrase | "fishing gear" |
| * | truncation | Adds none or more characters | fish* searches fish, fishing, fisheries, fisherman, etc |
| ? | wildcard | Adds none or one character | wom?n searches "woman" and "women" |
Different database platforms (i.e. EBSCO, ProQuest) may use different syntax. Review a more complete list of database syntax.
A search strategy (or search string) are the keywords, terms, and syntax used in your search. A typical search strategy includes 2-4 concepts, but may include more keywords.
For example, an initial search for information on lithic tools used for fishing:
"lithic tools" AND fishing
But you may want to expand your search to get results on all forms of lithic tools, but also narrow results to only uses related to catching, cleaning, and preparing fish. So instead you might try:
(lithic* OR "stone tools") AND fish*